Ok ok, so I've been reading here and John Palmer's site about beer brewing and I'm in quite a little dilemma with my Irish Stout. I know most people on here recommend a single stage fermentation in which you just leave it in the primary for three weeks and then rack. However, Palmer said that it can "never" hurt to rack into a secondary and I was wondering if I DO indeed rack into a secondary, should I do it at two weeks and then leave it in secondary for another two weeks before bottling?

Or, can I do a hybrid method in which I leave it in the primary for 3 weeks (most people believe the yeast clean up their mess like diacetyls in three weeks) and then rack to a secondary for two weeks for conditiong and clarity, and finally bottling for two weeks?

P.S. I want to do the secondary just for clarity purposes, but am just asking as to find out if it is ever "too late to secondary"

Ok ok, so I've been reading here and John Palmer's site about beer brewing and I'm in quite a little dilemma with my Irish Stout. I know most people on here recommend a single stage fermentation in which you just leave it in the primary for three weeks and then rack. However, Palmer said that it can "never" hurt to rack into a secondary and I was wondering if I DO indeed rack into a secondary, should I do it at two weeks and then leave it in secondary for another two weeks before bottling?

Or, can I do a hybrid method in which I leave it in the primary for 3 weeks (most people believe the yeast clean up their mess like diacetyls in three weeks) and then rack to a secondary for two weeks for conditiong and clarity, and finally bottling for two weeks?

P.S. I want to do the secondary just for clarity purposes, but am just asking as to find out if it is ever "too late to secondary"

Thanks,

I beleive the on-line book is old. He's moved to long primary's in newer books so I'v read.

If you just want a clean beer, just leave it in the primary fermentor for 3 weeks. As long as the specific gravity is stable, go ahead and bottle it. The residual yeast will settle in the bottle and when you pour a beer all yeast and sediment will be left behind. A beautiful clear beer will result, what could be better?

there is really no need for a secondary, if you want to use one on a average beer though I would give it a week then crash cool (put the carboy in the fridge overnight) to improve clarity, also using irish moss during the boil will help if you dont do that already. You almost certainly wont notice the difference in a stout though.

Every fermentation is different. That said, typically after three weeks in the primary fermenter a medium gravity ale will be finished with fermentation and most material in suspension will have dropped to the bottom. Sampling and testing are the only way to know for sure, but unless you intend to dry hop or add some other new element, a 1.050 ale should be ready for bottling at that time.